Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals

Since 2015, St. Louis has won every series with Philadelphia (6-0-0). They have gone 15-5 in those games, which is the second-best record by an NL team against a single opponent over that span (minimum 20 games, NYM 18-5 vs. Cin).

Philadelphia has won six of its last seven games, allowing no more than three runs in any of them. Their 2.00 ERA over this seven-game span is their second-best stretch of pitching in 2018 (1.91 ERA from April 10-17). The Phillies are hitting .265 in May, which is the second-highest average of any NL club (Giants, .291)

In May, the Cardinals are hitting .216, second-lowest in baseball (D'backs, .190), and have an MLB-low 11 doubles. In their last home series, they were swept by the Twins and were outscored 13-1 and outhit 21-6 in those games.

Vince Velasquez threw a shutout against the Padres in 2016 (9 IP, 0 R, 16 K); aside from that performance, his only other career performance of more than 10 strikeouts was in his most recent start (12 K vs. SF). In May, Velasquez is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA, throwing 11.0 innings and allowing six hits. His improvement in opponent batting average (.287 pre-May, .154 in May, .133 differential) ranks third in MLB among qualifying pitchers this season.

Luke Weaver earned a win in his last start against the Padres, throwing five shutout innings and allowing just four hits and a walk. In the four starts prior, however, he allowed 18 runs in 18.0 innings to go along with 23 hits and 10 walks.

Carlos Santana has hit .271 in May after hitting just .153 pre-May. He has hit five of his seven home runs, his only triple, scored nine runs, and has 16 RBI in 12 games in May.

Wednesday's 4-1 win in Baltimore pushed the Philadelphia Phillies to a place they haven't been since the end of the 2011 season - eight games over .500.

Philadelphia tries to push its 24-16 record up another notch Thursday night when it starts a four-game series at the St. Louis Cardinals.

"We're all really positive in here right now," said Phillies pitcher Nick Pivetta, who fanned 11 in seven innings to earn the win over the Orioles. "Everybody is jelling together. You guys can see it. It's really, really fun in here right now."

Fun is something Philadelphia hasn't experienced much of the last five years in Busch Stadium. The Phillies are just 5-13 under the Gateway Arch, dating to 2013, including a three-game sweep last June in which they were outscored 16-7.

But this Philadelphia team is far better than those teams that mostly flailed to no avail in St. Louis. The Phillies have a better lineup, led by Odubel Herrera, who has reached base in 42 straight games dating to the end of 2017, and have upgraded their pitching with the late addition of Jake Arrieta during spring training.

Arrieta has stabilized a promising young rotation that includes power right-hander Vince Velasquez (3-4, 5.05 ERA), who makes the start on Thursday night. Velasquez is coming off a 6-3 win on May 10 against San Francisco in which he fanned 12 over six innings, allowing five hits and three runs in the process.

This will be Velasquez's second career start against the Cardinals. He lost his first outing in August 2016, ceding five runs on seven hits in six innings during a 9-0 defeat. Velasquez allowed two homers, walked two and whiffed seven.

Another young righty, Luke Weaver (3-2, 4.91), gets the call for St. Louis (23-17) as it opens a seven-game homestand. Weaver snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday night in San Diego, making it through five scoreless innings in a 9-5 laugher over the Padres.

Weaver will face Philadelphia for the second time in his career. In a 2016 defeat to the Phillies, Weaver permitted three runs and nine hits in five innings, recording six strikeouts and walking one.

The Cardinals arrive back in town after splitting a six-game road trip against San Diego and Minnesota. They broke out offensively Wednesday in a 7-5 decision over the Twins as struggling Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler combined for five hits.

Carpenter and Fowler entered the day with the lowest averages among qualified hitters in the National League at .140 and .146, respectively. But Carpenter had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and Fowler stroked two hits, including a two-run single in the first off former teammate Lance Lynn.

"It was nice to see the offense get into rhythm today. Hopefully, this is a little foreshadowing for what is to come. Hopefully, we'll get this going on the next homestand every day," Carpenter said.

Carpenter batted seventh Wednesday, the lowest he's hit in the order since July 22, 2015.

"He's real close to getting right," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "His swings looked very good. We know the type of hitter he can be."